Muktinath Trip Expenses from India

Flight Expenses from
Bangalore to Kathmandu on Royal Nepal Airlines  : INR 8500 approx  3 hrs
New Delhi to Kathmandu on Royal Nepal Airlines : INR 5000 approx  2 hrs
Mumbai to Kathmandu on Royal Nepal Airlines     : INR 7000 approx  2 hr30m

- If you are travelling from Chennai you may need to connect either through Delhi (2hr 50m) or take   a train or do a road trip to Bangalore and take the non stop flight to Kathmandu, which works out cheaper than taking the Delhi connect. Other airlines are almost double the cost.

- Royal Nepal airlines flight from Delhi to Kathmandu and back was neat, comfortable with good food and hospitality. I find no reason to pay twice the price to a different airline!

Flights from Kathmandu to Pokhara one way cost about INR 4650 to 5000
Mountain flight from Pokhara to Jomsom one way about INR 4500 if booked early.
For foreign nationals who are non Indians the fare is about USD 115 approx

One would usually find Simrik Airlines, Buddha Airlines or Yeti airlines in the KTM-PKR route and only Tara Air operating 16 seater mountain flights from Pokara to Jomsom.

The flight schedules are very fragile and cancellation prone due to changing weather conditions. It is also said that the order of preference is foreign nationals (highest flight fare), then Indians and later locals (lowest flight fare). So we were told not to be late or our boarding passes could get issued to somebody else with a higher ticket price.

Interestingly, if there are seats on an earlier flight and you are early at the counter, the airlines issue boarding passes on the preceding flight if you are interested!

Vegetarian food in Kathmandu and Pokhara are available in a food outlet called Aangan. Prices could look really big with a Veg Thali costing about NPR 450 and a masala dosa about NPR 390. There are no pure vegetarian hotels from Jomsom and ahead. A plate of Kichadi in Hotel OM's Home costed NPR 400! and Aloo Paratha's are the cheapest at NPR 180 per piece. In Muktinath, there was a small hotel by name Royal Mustang, you can order food when you trek up the Muktinath temple and return for lunch and a Thali (2 roti, dhal, rice and a vegetable curry) can cost about 350-400NPR

Hotel rooms per night for 3 star stay in Kathmandu and Pokhara cost about INR 2500 per night. Do not forget to get yourself a local SIM card when you get down at the airport.

Communication: Prepaid packages start at INR 300 but they recommend the INR 1500 package if you are staying between 7 to 10 days. Airtel told me that i would not need international roaming to be activated for Nepal and the moment i disembarked the flight in Kathmandu, the network indicated that my calls were barred, however i got all the weekend offer messages on SMS from India!

Transportation: If you are going through an agent, the package costs you close to INR 32000 per head and includes all costs including airport transfers, permits and entry fee at sight seeing spots. There are two permits ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area project permit) and TIMS (Trekkers Information Management System) together costing INR 2000. Share Jeeps from Jomsom to Muktinath cost about 400 per head but are dependent on how many co travellers are there at that point in time and their willingness to share depending on how much luggage each party has!! However if you want to hire the vehicle for yourself, it costs about INR 3500. This is a better option if you want control of the day's schedule!

In all the budget is about INR 65000 per head, unless you're okay to have bitter juice and squeeze the budget lemon hard! :)

Indicative split up as follows:

Flights                             : 20,000
Hotels                              : 10,000 [5 nights]
Food                                :   7,500 [1500 a day]
Transportation & Permits: 10,000 [Airport transfers, sight seeing, Jeep/Scorpio to Muktinath]
Exigencies                       : 10,000
Communication               :    2000
Sourveniers & shopping  :    5000

My trip expenses were about INR 1.25 Lakh for 2 people. My exigency fund was exhausted after the return mountain flight was cancelled due to bad weather and we paid up INR 10,000 to return to Pokhara in a Scorpio after we found no people to share the trip.

Thanks for reading and do drop in your queries or comments in the section below!

Muktinath Trip - Prepare well to enjoy the trip!

Preparation and planning is key to enjoying any trip. Muktinath Yatra is one that needs a lot of careful planning and attention to detail.

1. Right Season: Do not plan your trip during the monsoon (Jun to Sep) or during the peak winters from (Dec to March) since during these times make or break is much in the hands of nature and leaves very little percentage to make any work arounds or replan on the go. Plan for travel either in May or late September to early November, which are the favourable times to visit Nepal.

2. Get an agent of repute: Pay the extra buck to get yourself a good travel agent who can relieve you of the worries of pick ups, drops, airport transfers, planning or re-planning the hotel, flight tickets etc. You can't work throughout the trip and enjoy it well too!

3. Suitable Winter Clothing: Check the weather around the time you would leave for the trip, get clothing and winter wear suited to the temperature there. There are winter clothing shops that can give what you need precisely based on what weather conditions and temperatures you would be going into. Carry good wind cheaters with hood, comfortable shoes, thick socks and thermals to keep you warm.

Make your own judgement about how much protection you would need from the cold, as locals would only tell you that it would be slightly cold, however if you are from warmer parts of the world, that would be grossly wrong, since they are acclimatized to the conditions there.

4. Medicines: Carry all the medicines you need. Do not shy away from carry them or leave it to chance thinking i will not probably need them at all.

5. Work on your fitness: It would be worthwhile to improve your fitness through walks exercises and stretches for a month before you set out. Improve your walking range, strength train your legs and back. Having spent all the effort time and money, it would be terrible to not be able to hold yourself together on a long day in difficult conditions, tough weather with your back packs loaded. 

6. Cash:  Carry enough cash, split them up in different bags for contingency. Don't rely completely on cards or leave it to the last ATM to withdraw what you need.

7. Carry your food: Carry simple or ready to eat foods that suit you on the last leg from Pokhara to Muktinath. Cheese sandwiches, raw vegetables or apples, biscuits, energy bars, instant coffee sachets or tea dips and packs of electrolytes will help you on the way. Drink enough warm water to keep your stomach safe from infection and be wary of dehydration in cold weather. 

8. The Golden rule: Eat before you are hungry, drink before you are thirsty! Hunger and thirst will mostly drive you into taking hasty or wrong decisions. It would better if the all do the same if in a group, so we design our good experience rather than be stricken by basics! 

9. Buffer day: Plan to have a buffer day at hand to rework your plan due to any delays, interruptions or unforeseen situations. 

10. Get past inconveniences: Most important of all - Don't forget to enjoy every moment, ignore the inconveniences that you may face on the way, cherish the goodness in whatever you get and don't forget to thank the lord in each step you put forward on this great yatra! I've heard of people who narrate only hardships if asked how the trip was, they couldn't remember the good part!

These points are not a tad apprehensive or imaginative, the value of the preparation is not seen if the trip goes smooth, but would end up crippling if we're not equipped to handle them at that point in time. All the very best!

- Sriram Kannan

How to reach Muktinath

Muktinath Yatra - How to reach Muktinath from India

There are two modes to reach Muktinath from India- By Air or By road

By AIR

Step 1: Reach Kathmandu
There are flights to Kathmandu from Delhi or if you're travelling from South India, there is a direct flight of just under 3 hours from Bangalore to Kathmandu. Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal and are plains and have moderate temperatures.

Step 2: Getting to Pokhara
From Kathmandu, we need to get to Pokhara which is at about 300kms distance is a 20 minute flight costing about 4000 INR. Pokhara is a beautiful city and a hill station.

Step 3: Reaching Jomsom
Jomsom is a small town in the valley in the Annapurna mountain range between the Macchapucchre and Dhaulagiri mountains. It is at a height of 2700m above sea level and can see heavy winds and low temperatures. This town has minimal facilities and is a crucial stop for the yatra ahead.

Step 4: Drive to Muktinath [Shared Jeep or full hire]
Muktinath is about 25kms drive along the Kali Gandaki river and is a further 1000m climb upward from Jomsom to 3710m. It is mostly off roads and takes about 1.5 to 2hours depending on stoppages for photography! May and October are the only season times, while temperatures in May hover around 10 deg C, it can get down to near zero or sub zero temperatures in late October.

By Road

If you reach Kathmandu by flight, then Pokhara is a 6 hour drive on muddy roads. From Pokhara to Jomsom is a bumpy gruelling 8-9hrs drive through rough terrain for about 150kms. This is definitely not recommended for the elderly however gritty! 

From Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, it takes about 2 -3 hrs to the border at Sunauli/Bhairahawa and from there on  6-8 hrs bus ride to Pokhara. If you are travelling from Chennai you can take the Raptisagar express, which however takes 40hrs to reach Gorakhpur. 

You would need to carry proof of identity and Indian citizenship - which is either the Voter ID or the Passport. Indian currency notes of 10, 20, 50 upto the 100 rupees is normally accepted throughout Nepal, you mostly get change in Nepali rupee which is 1.6 times INR 
i.e. 100 INR = 160 NPR

Check out some beautiful pictures from in and around Muktinath in the following video link: https://youtu.be/PMuAi40Ha4o

Do leave your thoughts, questions or comments below

- Sriram Kannan

Skoda Rapid Ownership review

Skoda Rapid Ownership review (Diesel)

Dear friends,

I am writing this review after owning a Skoda Rapid Cappucino Beige 1.5 Diesel for 9 months and having done 11,300 kms!

Key figures

Engine    -1498 cc / 1.5 Litre Diesel
Mileage  - 16.5 city, 22.7 (Achieved in the highways from Nagpur to Hyderabad)
Power     - 104 BHP
Torque   - 250 nm at 1500-2500 RPM

 Appreciated for       

A1. Excellent performance - A power packed car, it can be easily driven in the city without having to change gears much. On the highways, it delivers enough torque even in the 4th and 5th gears making overtaking a breeze! I've never done an overtake for more than 4 secs, while i used to take 7+ seconds to overtake trailers in the past in my earlier petrol car.

A2. Steering precision and stability - Response of the steering is uniform and sharp. Small efforts produce precision results. Good maneuverability and a decent turn radius for a car of its length. One can zip through traffic, change lanes quickly. The other key point i appreciate is the zero feedback on the steering wheel from bad roads or bumps, inspires confidence.

A3. Crisp gear changes - Gear throws are short and crisp and changes with a click sound. Talking of gear changes, once you're in the 3rd gear, you'd most probably wont need to switch down to 2nd gear unless you're under 15kmph. The 3rd gear has a great range down from 20kmph to about 55kmph, the most suitable ratios for a city drive that doesn't demand frequent gear changes.

A4. Excellent braking power and stability - With the rapid's brakes, one never feels out of control in any situation. Even if you jammed on the brakes, the brake assist is excellent and would bring you to a controlled slowdown / halt.

A5. Great AC - I did a 1600km drive over 2 days in temperatures ranging from 38 - 47 deg C and the air conditioning just works like magic, calm and composed, no stuffy feeling, you last longer in the cabin since you never feel low on oxygen even in recycled mode. One wouldn't need breaks too often. I took breaks once every 3hrs, while in other cars i've felt the urge to rush out of the cabin after 1.5hrs of driving.

A7. Very Torquey - Just demand the power by pressing extra on the accelerator, it just responds with glee. Rapid delivers such punch you get sucked back in to the seat like in an airplane during the take off run. You could load up the car with 3 suitcases, 5 people and drive effortlessly with a smile on your face. In my earlier car, i would have been jamming the controls to squeeze out some power and sheepishly smile at the co-passenger as he/she gives you the stare as if asking what are you trying to do!! 

A9. Good mileage - I got a decent 16.6 kmpl everytime in the city with AC on all the time. On highways, the Skoda Rapid does anywhere between 20 and 22. I'd achieved a peak mileage of 22.7 KMPL on the Nagpur-Hyderabad highway, driving 80-90 kmph throughout. Check out the Rapid Diesel mileage video

A10. Quality cabin and good on safety - Good build quality, solid doors, no noises / rattles at high speeds. I'm told the roof is laser welded for added security and you wouldn't find the rubber beading on the roof like in most other cars. Excellent quality of plastics in the cabin. I'd parked the car for 2 hours at noon with temperatures close to 47 deg C, no plastic smell in the cabin. I'd never used a car perfume, the cabin is airy and great. It has also got enough bottle holders and a spacious glove box.

A12. Great muscular looks - Definitely great on looks is the Skoda Rapid. I owned a Cappucine beige colour with a black package. Its got those muscular lines and an angry look, which i admire about the car. Its got a serious look and gets the respect on the road!.

 Downsides                

D1. Suspension - Thuds into the cabin with a sound on many occasions. Very firm - which is great for highways in the way it handles but a big problem in the city and on bad roads. I felt this a huge discomfort! Having suffered a disc prolapse a few years ago, this suspension definitely does not encourage me to drive through roads with bad sections. Service tells me that the car wasn't designed keeping Indian road conditions in mind, now that's a big disadvantage!

D2. Low ground clearance, mud flaps don't last as they brush every speed breaker. I had to drive make the effort to drive around the bigger bumps in the road, everytime. If there are dug up roads or bumps, then i had to choose other routes to reach home. I'd envy some of my friends' cars with 180mm clearance who just casually pass over such bumps without getting thrown around / rocked.

D3 - Front seats are just enough. The seats are small compared to some cars in the sedan segment, under thigh support is lacking in the rear seats. Another minus on the comfort aspect. Also there is not enough leg room for the 5th passenger due to a high transmission tunnel. I had a bulky colleague who struggled to get in and out of the car and much worse, the driver's seat.

Lastly, maintenance can cost you considerably over the years since spares are costly.

To sum it up, it is a great car, an excellent performer! All said, ownership is an experience and the buy decision is based on what you need the most and not only on the specifications!